Technique for all-optical packet switching
OwnerGuo-Qiang Wang, Dominic Goodwill +2inventors
InventorsGuo-Qiang Wang, Dominic Goodwill, Paul Toliver, Kihong Kim
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Abstract
A technique for switching all-optical packet switching is disclosed. In one embodiment, the technique is realized by receiving at least one data packet over a network, disassociating a payload portion from a first header in the data packet, forming a second header based on a first information in the first header, associating the payload portion with the second header to form a modified packet and switching the modified packet based on a second information contained in the first header.
Claims30
A method for switching packets in an optical switch, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving a data packet signal over a network, the data packet signal having a first header signal and a payload signal;
- disassociating the payload signal from the first header signal in the data packet signal by summing the data packet signal and a feedback signal to remove the first header signal from the data packet signal, the feedback signal having a magnitude that is substantially equal and opposite to a magnitude of the first header signal;
- forming a second header signal based on first information in the first header signal;
- associating the payload signal with the second header signal to form a modified packet signal;
- and
- switching the modified packet signal based on second information in the first header signal.
An apparatus for switching packets in an optical switch, the apparatus comprising:
- an optical pilot tone eraser to receive a data packet signal and disassociate a header signal from a payload signal of the data packet signal;
- a photo diode coupled to receive the header signal of the data packet signal from the optical pilot tone eraser and convert the header signal to an electrical control signal;
- an electrical frequency detector coupled to receive an input from the photo diode;
- a switch controller coupled to receive an input from the electrical frequency detector;
- a modulation unit comprising a synthesizer coupled to receive an input from the switch controller and output a modulated header signal;
- at least one fiber delay coupled to receive the payload signal from the optical pilot tone eraser and output a delayed payload signal;
- and
- a network element coupled to receive inputs from the modulation unit, the fiber delay and the switch controller to associate the header signal with the payload signal to form a modified data packet signal, switch the modified data packet signal, and output the modified data packet signal to an optical network interface.
An apparatus for switching packets in an optical switch comprising:
- a receiver that receives a data packet signal over a network, the data packet signal having a first header signal and a payload signal;
- an optical pilot tone eraser to disassociate the payload signal from the first header signal in the data packet signal by summing the data packet signal and a feedback signal, the feedback signal having a magnitude substantially equal and opposite to a magnitude of first header signal;
- and
- a network element that forms a second header signal based on first information in the first header signal, associates the payload signal with the second header signal to form a modified packet signal, and switches the modified packet signal based on second information in the first header signal.
An apparatus for switching packets in an optical switch comprising:
- means for receiving a data packet signal over a network, the data packet signal having a first header signal and a payload signal;
- means for disassociating the payload signal from the first header signal in the data packet signal by summing the data packet signal and a feedback signal, the feedback signal having a magnitude substantially equal and opposite to a magnitude of the first header signal of the data packet signal;
- means for forming a second header signal based on first information in the first header signal;
- means for associating the payload signal with the second header signal to form a modified packet signal;
- and
- means for switching the modified packet signal based on second information in the first header signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.